In a major boost to Indian science research, the Union cabinet has approved a proposal to establish a state-of-the-art gravitational wave observatory in India in collaboration with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) in the US.  The “in principle” approval for the LIGO-India project for research on gravitational waves – a discovery that is regarded as the breakthrough of the century – is piloted by the Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Science and Technology (DST). Details:  Known as the LIGO-India project, it is piloted by Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and Department of Science and Technology (DST).  The LIGO-India project will be jointly coordinated and executed by three Indian research institutions: the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and

Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune and Department of Atomic Energy organisations: Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), Gandhinagar and the Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT), Indore. Significance of this project:  The project will bring unprecedented opportunities for scientists and engineers to dig deeper into the realm of gravitational wave and take global leadership in this new astronomical frontier.  The LIGO-India project will also bring considerable opportunities in cuttingedge technology for the Indian industry which will be engaged in the construction of the eight-km long beam tube at ultra-high vacuum on a levelled terrain.  With its establishment, India will join the global network of gravitational wave detectors.  Establishing an observatory in India also assumes importance because the further the distance between the observatories, the greater will be the accuracy in locating gravity waves. Background: Confirming a major prediction of Albert Einstein’s 1915 general theory of relativity, scientists including several of Indian-origin this month observed gravitational waves, or ripples in the fabric of space time, arriving at Earth from a cataclysmic event in the distant universe.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi had expressed his happiness over the historic detection of gravitational waves and lauded the role of Indian scientists in the project.  Physicists have concluded that the detected gravitational waves were produced during the final fraction of a second of the merger of two black holes to produce a single, more massive spinning black hole.  This collision of two black holes had been predicted but never observed.  The twin LIGO detectors are located in Livingston, Louisiana, and Hanford, Washington. The LIGO observatories are funded by the US National Science Foundation (NSF), and were conceived, built and are operated by Caltech and MIT.

Way ahead: [DOCUMENT TITLE]  Dubbed as the breakthrough of the century, the international team of scientists believes that the detection of gravitational waves will open an unprecedented new window to the cosmos.  Gravitational waves carry information about their dramatic origins and about the nature of gravity that cannot be obtained from elsewhere. Current estimates suggest the project would cost at least Rs. 1,200 crore and the project is still at least eight years away. sources: the hindu.